Fluid filled electric cable system



May 5, 1936. 1.. EMANUEL! FLUID FILLED ELECTRIC CABLE SYSTEM Filed Nov. 18, 1933 LUIGI UN Mm WWW mm mm M A w B Patented may 5, 1936 UNITED STATES amass? j FLUID FILLED Emc'ralo cum srs'rm ma mum, Milan, Italy, asslgnor to Bocicti Italians Plrelli, a company Italy Application govember 1a. 193:, Serial n team Italy 3, 1832 scum. .(01. 173-264) .In fluid filled sheathed electric, cable'systems the cables are, as is well into the cable when it becomes cold.

In a cable line, composed generally of twotor more separate cables laid-parallel, each cable is usually subdivided into sections separated by stop 10 joints; as each sectionis connected with its'own individual reservoir, it is supplied with insulating liquid independent of the others.

The reservors are generally of the type collapsible cells which communicate with the in l terior of the cable and contain the insulating liquid at a pressure practically equal to that of the atmosphere, which cellscan freely expand and contract within the atmosphere. Such reservoirs are called feeding tanks. when a cable section is fed with this type of reservoir, which must be installed at a certain height above the level of the cable, the liquid in itat a given temperature-has a pressure determined only by the hydrostatic head due to the height of the reser- 26 voir, i. e., a constant pressure. Thepressure in the cable varies only during the heating and cooling periods, but returns to the same value when a constant temperature is re-established. There are also other well known types of res- 30 ervoirs, constituted by a'rigid walled casing filled with insulating liquid and. communicating with the interior of the cable, in which casing 'are contained elastic expansible elements, as for instance, hermetically sealed collapsible cells filled at with gas. These reservoirs are called pressure tanks. When a section of cabe is connected only to reservoirs of this type, which are usually installed underground in the joint manholes, the pressure in the cable-at any given constant out- 40 side temperature-varies according to the load on the cable, the volume of the expansible elements varying with the pressure.

Besides providing cable sections with feeding tanks only, that is with tanks operating under a 45 constant pressure, and providing sections with pressure tanks only, that is with tanks operating under a pressure variable with the load, sections may be provided at the same time with a feeding tank at one end and a pressure tank at the other, this latter compensating for the variations of pressure in the cable during periods of changing temperatures. In this third system also, as in p the first, the cable always has at any given tem- 55 perature, a constant pressure, determined-by the known, in permanent communication with closed reservoirs into which the fluid of the cable flows when the cable becomes v hot, and from which the fluid flows back hydrostatic head 61 the 1i 7 a m the feeding ressome cases, however, it is not, possible, for

practical reasonato install the feeding tank high enough above the cable to give a sufllcient hy- 5 drostatic head on the insulatingliquid of the cable. It may happen that at the moment when the cable cools, the pressure is not great enough topeompensate for the drop of pressure in the cable and the pipes carrying-the fluid to it. In

such cases, as there is during the first moments of cooling a heavy demand by the cable for fluid, 1 it may happen that the low pressure formed in the'cable gives rise, inside of it, to-dangerous empty "spaces or partial vacua, or even to the is drawing in of air or moisture from the outside,

at any point where thesheathlis not perfectly ti ht.

This danger is eliminated by the new system which is hereinafter described and which forms the subject of the present invention.

In a cable installation constructed according to this system, a section of cable is connectedas in the'third system mentioned above, to a pressure reservoir and to a feeding reservoir, but in the present system the connection with the feeding reservoir is made through a regulating device having a valve which automatically controls the passage of the insulating, fluid between the two reservoirs when a predetermined difso ference of pressure is reached, a greater difference, however, being necessary to cause the passage of fluid from the pressure to the feeding reservoir, than in theopposite direction.

In order that the invention may haw-s5 understood, reference is had to the acc'ompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 schematically represents a section of cable constructed according to the present invention, Fig. 2 shows, also schematically, and in section on an enlarged 40 scale, the regulating device itself; and Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a somewhat modifled construction.

In Fig.1 a certain number of lengths of cable I l' and I", connected together by intermediate Joints (that is, not stop joints) 2 and 2', constitute a section of the cable system; it is terminated by stop joints 3 and 3' and is provided with a pressure reservoir I .and a feeding reservoir I, this latter, however, being connected to the cable through the regulating device 8. I a

The connection from the feeding and pressure reservoirs with the cable is generally effected at. the ends of the section, that is at the stop Joints, as such connections are not possible at as the ,normal intermediate joints of the cable. There are, however, special types of intermediate Joints which are known as feeding Joints and which allow fluid to be introduced into the cable,

5 and if such Joints are adopted, the reservoirs can then be connected to the cable at the intermediate feeding ioints instead of through the stop Joints.

The regulating device I, as shown in Fig. 2,

10 comprises three contiguous chambers I, 8 and t, which are fllled with the same insulating fluid as the cable. The chambers I and I are separated by a movable partition in the form of a flat elastic diaphragm II, which moves in accordance with 15 the difference of pressure betwen said two chambers. It is only possible for it, however, to move towards the chamber I, movement toward the chamber I being prevented by a limiting stop ii. The chambers I and I are, on the contrary, sep- 20 arated by a rigid wall II, which is provided with a port controlled by a check valve II; this valve is arranged to open from the chamber I towards thechamberl,andispressedtoitsseatbya swing II.

35 i The outside chambers I and I communicate with each other through a connecting tube II to which a tube II, extending to the feeding reservoir I is connected. On the other hand, the intermediate chamber I is, by means of a tube ll,

' connected with the cable at a suitable joint, and therefore also with the pressure reservoir, which is in permanent communication with the cable.

Under these conditions, when the pressure in the cable and in the pressure reservoir exceeds a that of the feeding reservoir, that is, when the pressure in the chamber I is greater than that in chambers I and I, the elastic diaphragm II is held flxed by the sto Ii, and the valve II tends tobeopenedbuttheonspring it does 40 not allow it to open until the difference of pressure exceeds a certain predetermined value: in whiehcase only, the fluid can flow from the cable andfromthepressuretanktothefeedingreservoir.

the pressure in the chamber I, i. e., that in the cable and in the pressure reservomislessthanthat inthechamhers I and I, i. e.. that in the feeding reservoir, the diaphragm II presses against the end of the valve II and forces it open, establishing a passageway for the flow of fluid from the feeding tank to the cable andtothepressuretank. Inthissecondcasethe diflerence of pressure necessary for the opening of the valve may be, owing to the construction of u the apparatus and the adjustment of the spring II, much less than in the preceding case. This is due to the relatively large area of the diaphragm II, which, in any case, should be more thandouble the area of the seat of the valve II.

Inmanycasesitmaybeuseful thatthepartitionsuchssllbealwayslight ypressedbyan adjustable spring such as II towards the valve, as shown in Fla. 3. his spring operates only whenthepressurein thefeeding tankisgreater thanthatinthepressuretank,andisinactive in the opposite case. Another diiference in the regulating device of Pig. 3 is that the partition iscarriedbyanelasticdiaphragmwhichhasthe in form of a cylinder instead of being fiat.

In the new system described, the pressure in the cable is no longer constantly equal to that determined by the height of the feeding reservoir but, by means of the regulating device mentioned 1| abovaagreaterpsessurabyadesiredamwnt,

than that corresponding to the hydrostatic head of the liquid in said reservoir is obtained inside the cable. Therefore, during the cooling period of the cable, at the moment of the greatest demand for fluid, there exists, in the cable and the 5 pressure tank, a pressure and quantity of fluid suflicient to satisfy the demand, thus avoiding the formation in the interior of the cable of dangerous voids and regions of low pressure such as might result from the insuflicient hydrostatic 10 head of the liquid in the feeding tank.

It will be further observed that, by virtue of the arrangement above described, during heating up of the cable due to load, the insulating liquid is expelled and collects first in the pressure tank, where its pressure may exceed that corresponding to the hydrostatic head of the liquid in the feeding tank. Subsequently, the valve II is forced open, and liquid then backs up in the feeding tank. Similarly, when the cable cools, liquid will first be fed to it from the pressure tank, until the pressure falls to a predetermined point, and then afterwards, as cooling continues, from both tanks.

It is also important to notice that the regulating device, being hermetically closed and not communicating with the outside medium, is in no way influenced by the atmospheric pressure and would operate just the same even if it were immersed in water and under any external pressure 3 whatever.

What I claim is:

1. In a fluid fllled electric cable system, the combination with a cable section, of a feeding reservoir and a pressure reservoir connected therewith, the connection between said pressure reservoir and cable being constantly open and a regulating device interposed in the connection between said feeding reservoir and the cable and having a single normally closed valve controlling 40 the passage of fluid therethrough in both directions, said device comprising means responsive'to a predetermined difference in pressure for openins said valve.

2. In a fluid fllled electric cable system, the combination with a cable section, of a feeding reservoir connected therewith, and a regulating device interposed in the connection between said feeding reservoir and the cable and having a single normally closed valve controlling the passo sage of fluid therethrough in both directions. said device comprising means for causing said valve to open when the pressure in the cable exceeds that in the reservoir by a given amount, and means including an elastic diaphragm for also as opening said valve when the pressure in the reservoir exceeds that in the cable.

8. In a fluid fllled electric cable system, the combination with a cable section, of a feeding reservoir connected therewith, and a regulating so device interposed in the connection between said feeding reservoir and the cable and having a single normally closed valve controlling the passage of fluid therethrough in both directions, said device comprising means for causing said valve as to open when the pressure in the cable exceeds that in the reservoir by a given amount, and means including an elastic diaphragm for also opening said valve when the pressure in the reservoir exceeds that in the cable by a smaller amount. 7

4. In a fluid fllled electric cable system, the combination with a cable section, of a feeding reservoir connected therewith, and a regulating device interposed in the connection between said reservoirandthecableandcomprisingaeasing,

divided into an intermediate and two outer chambers, said intermediate chamber communicating with the cable and said outer chambers communicating with each other and with said reservoir, a single spring-pressed valve controlling communication between said intermediate chamber and one of said outer chambers and opening towards the latter, and a flexible dia-'- phragm separating said intermediate chamber from the other outer chamber and serving to engage and unseat said valve whenever the pressure in the latter exceeds that in the former by a predetermined amount.

5. In a fluid filled electric cable system, the combination with a cable section, of a feeding reservoir and pressure reservoir both connected therewith, and means interposed in the connections for permitting the flow of fluid from said feeding reservoir to said pressure reservoir only when the difference in pressure between the two reservoirs reaches a given value, and for permitting the flow of fluid in the opposite direction only when the difference in pressure reaches a greater value.

6. In a fluid fllled electric cable system, the combination with a cable section, oi. a feeding reservoir and pressure reservoir both connected with the same end thereof, and valve means interposed in the connections between said feeding reservoir and cable whereby, during heating up of the cable, the liquid expelled collects flrst in the pressure tank until the pressure exceeds by a predetermined amount that due to the hydrostatic head in the feeding tank, and then afterwards flows into said ieeding tank.

7. In a fluid fllled electric cable system, the combination with a cable section, of a feeding reservoir and pressure reservoir both connected with the same end thereof, and means interposed in the connections whereby, during heating up of the cable, the liquid expelled collects first in the pressure tank until the pressure exceeds by a predetermined amount that due to the hydrostatic head in the feeding tank,and then arterwards flows into said feeding tank and, during cooling or the cable, the liquid flows flrst out of said pressure tank and then out of both tanks.

8. In a fluid filled electric cable system, the combination with a cable section, of a feeding reservoir connected therewith, and a regulating device interposed in the connection between said reservoir and the cable and comprising a casing divided into an intermediate and two outer chambers, said intermediate chamber communicating with the cable and said outer chambers communicating with each other and with said reservoir,

a single spring-pressed valve controlling communication between said intermediate chamber and one or said outer chambers and opening towards the latter, and a movable partition wall interposed between said intermediate chamber and the other outer chamber, and serving to mechanically unseat said valve whenever the pressure in the latter exceeds that in the former by a predetermined amount.

LUIGI EMANUEL-I. 

